ann11070 — Announcement

Media representatives are invited to attend the first live construction of a life-size replica of the 40-metre mirror for the planned European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The event takes place between 11:00 and 18:00 on Saturday 15 October 2011 at ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München weather conditions permitting.

The E-ELT mirror is so large that it is difficult to envisage. The full-size replica will put this feat of engineering into perspective for the first time. Journalists attending the event will find unique photo opportunities to capture the immensity of the world’s largest planned telescope and the chance to interview E-ELT scientists. An E-ELT scale model will also be present to show what the entire observatory will look like when finished.

The E-ELT is ESO’s most ambitious project so far. With start of operations planned for early in the next decade, the E-ELT will tackle the biggest scientific challenges of our time, and aim for a number of notable firsts, including tracking down Earth-like planets around other stars in the habitable zones where life could exist. The E-ELT will be constructed in Chile, with scientific and organisational support provided by astronomers and engineers based at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching. Click here to watch a short video about the E-ELT.

This event is part of the Open House Day event organised on the entire Garching Research Campus. For more information about the Open House Day at ESO, please click here.

Members of the media should register in advance by providing their full name, affiliation and contact details to osandu@eso.org